E3 2005: Enchant Arm Goes Live

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First details on the 360's Japanese RPG launch title.

By Anoop Gantayat

From Software's first Xbox 360 title won't be focusing on mechs. The company that, last year, had Uncle Sam piloting a mech in order to defeat terrorists (see Metal Wolf Chaos) will be giving new Xbox 360 owners at the system's Japanese launch this December something that Xbox fans never got: a Japanese-style RPG.

In its first report on the game this week, Famitsu reveals story, character and just a few gameplay details on Enchant Arm. The game takes place in a world where, increasingly, "value" has come to mean different things to different people. As a result, people are unable to determine who's right and who's wrong and what's proper and what's improper, resulting in anxiety about the future and the conflicts and wars that go along with it.

The storyline is a serious one, but From is promising character personalities and dialogue to balance things out somewhat. The main character in Enchant Arm is Atsuma Enchanter, an eighteen-year-old male college student (he's 175 centimeters tall, in case you were wondering). Atsuma is studying the subject of "Enchant," whereby ethers can be used to create golems and make objects stronger. Of particular note, his left arm has the ability to cancel the effects of enchant work.

Two support characters have been introduced as well. Touya is a nineteen-year-old male stock trader (height 178cm) who has superior enchant capabilities. Touya is smart and cool and has lots of fans, including Atsuma, who refers to him as The Blue Computer. Also revealed in the magazine is a mysterious lady called Cain Of Ice. Nothing is known about her (except for her height -- 175cm). One day, she suddenly appears in Yokohama City, Atsuma's home town.

Gameplay in Enchant Arm seems to be centered on enchant skills. While it's unclear how the game's battle system is set up, it's known that you'll be teaming up with other players Online so that you're not fighting alone. From is equipping Enchant Arm with a number of gameplay systems, focusing on player abilities, that promise to offer lots of play time. Of particular importance to the designers is providing a smooth experience that's free of load times and has a clean user interface behind it.

Enchant Arm looks like it has all the makings of a true JRPG. Based on the pictures released in Famitsu, the game sports a colorful, detailed futuristic world, detailed characters that closely resemble concept art, and event scenes that seem to contain lots of drama.

It sounds like a tough task to release a story-driven game at a system's launch, but we'll cross our fingers for a strong title in Enchant Arm. And if the game ends up impressing, an American release should follow.